Naruto: From Beginning To End
by Tiger5913
Summary: Updated: Set Alpha, Part 2 ! GaaMatsu. 50 glimpses into their lives. 50 reasons to believe in love. ! A collection of 100 word drabbles, based on the prompts from the 1sentence LJ Community.
1. Set Alpha, Part 1

12/25/08

Disclaimer: the characters in this fic such as Gaara, Matsuri, etc. don't belong to me, although if they did, then by the end of the series, they will be married and have a couple of children running around the Kazekage office.

Dedication: God, my parents, my fans, Masashi Kishimoto for creating the Naruto series and giving us these colorful characters, and especially to my beloved friends, especially Nymyrra, Zero-Nightmare, Kzdatgurl, Nakoudo Byakugan, PhoenixSong4232, GaaraXmatsuri, Musashi Sanada, T. A. Raskelt, narufangirl16, Francisco Devilman Warrior, and all of you wonderful readers!!

Special dedication to: everyone that voted in my poll – you guys wanted another GaaMatsu fic from me, so here it is!

**Naruto: From Beginning To End**

**1sentence Drabble**

**Installment: Set Alpha, Part 1**

**By Tiger5913**

**1. Comfort**

He had no experience giving comfort to distraught people, but one look at Matsuri's tear-stained face made him want to learn immediately.

Especially since her current state was really caused by their relationship with each other, rather than result from her sensitive nature. She was becoming stronger by his daily training, but he understood that one could only take so much jeers and cruel torment from peers before eventually crumbling.

Fortunately, the presence of his hand on her shoulder seemed to provide her a small amount of relief, and he remained by her side until her tears had finally dried.

**2. Kiss**

The girls that pledged their devotion to the young Kazekage were always trying to steal kisses from him, but there was only one girl he would save them for.

He had no patience with their catcalls and sought to ignore their provocative offers. That proved difficult when one particularly bold girl grabbed his shoulders and tried to force a kiss on him. Gaara never raised a hand against any of his admirers, but his first instinct was to react by inflicting a reprisal upon the invader.

Fortunately, he was able to quash the reflex and settled for a firm push.

**3. Soft**

The first time Gaara actually noticed that his student had changed was when she hugged him, unintentionally pressing her soft curves against his lean body.

Once she realized what she was doing, the girl immediately retracted and apologized, knowing how he felt about being touched. Fortunately, he wasn't upset; he understood her enthusiasm and accepted the gesture.

Still blushing, Matsuri mumbled something inaudible before leaving his side to go converse with the other candidates, and presumably to offer her congratulations to the ones that had also passed.

As he was walking away, he couldn't understand why his face felt warm.

**4. Pain**

The fear of being betrayed again kept him away from the notion of love for a very long time, until she entered his life and made him consider changing his mind…

The malicious sand spirit tried to convince Gaara that the mousy girl only hung around him because she was after something. There was no way she had noble intentions, not with the labeled monster of the village, shunned and resented by practically everyone.

But all Matsuri ever asked from him was his instruction and his friendship.

After a short period, he realized he had no reason to doubt her.

**5. Potatoes**

Gaara stood back and watched with mild curiosity as the bole-haired kunoichi dug her hands into the ground and pulled up numerous small brown objects.

He had known for quite some time that gardening was one of her favorite hobbies, and he respected her knowledge in the area. Because of her experience, she was prone to give him advice on how he should take care of his own plants to ensure they would last longer. Her enthusiasm on the subject made him consider expanding to other plants, aside from just having cacti.

Provided, of course, he could find enough time.

**6. Rain**

He understood that rain was vital to agriculture, but he disliked being forced to walk around without his sand armor; Matsuri smiled warmly and promised she would protect him in this state.

"Hmm." That was his only response as they continued down the path leading toward the Kage building in the foreign village.

"What? I can! Really," she insisted, wondering if he had any doubts in her abilities, despite the fact that he taught her himself.

"I know," Gaara responded quietly, but with utmost sincerity in his voice, "But I would prefer to protect you."

She blushed at his words.

**7. Chocolate**

"I can't believe you don't even like chocolate," Matsuri gasped lightly in surprise after Gaara told her about his preferences with food, which included a rather strong disdain toward all sweets.

The redhead glanced down at the open box of chocolates and wondered if he should tell her the real reason behind his dislike. Memories of an uncle that used to bring home candy for a foolishly-trusting nephew entered his mind just then, causing the sand wielder to grimace slightly.

…Fortunately, Matsuri was nothing like _him_.

Gaara hesitated for a moment, and then slowly reached toward a piece of chocolate.

**8. Happiness**

It took the redhead a while to realize that the unfamiliar sensation he felt around Matsuri was happiness – and then even longer to identify the presence of affection.

Once Gaara had figured _that_ out, he pondered what his next move should be – or if it was even necessary to make one. The last thing he wanted to do was weaken the bonds of their close friendship, although he was aware that a romantic relationship would likely bind them together more tightly.

Nevertheless, insecurity stayed his tongue.

For now, he would wait. There was no need to rush things between them.

**9. Telephone**

As the days passed by too slowly since her departure, Gaara had to consciously resist the temptation to send out a messenger hawk to locate her and deliver a letter of concern.

Realistically, he had little reason to believe that his girlfriend would be in any grave danger, since she was accompanied by teammates. Not to mention she was a competent kunoichi perfectly capable of handling herself, so surely the mission would end in success. He just had to remain patient and wait for her return.

This was how it felt to care for someone else so strongly… to worry.

**10. Ears**

Matsuri knew her boyfriend wasn't very expressive, but whenever she scratched that special little spot between his ears and neck, he would close his eyes and emit a light sigh of content.

She could tell by looking at his rigid expression that he was feeling tense and needed to take a break. But knowing his habits and ethics, he would likely refuse to stop working for even a few minutes.

So while the young Kazekage was intently reading documents and reviewing proposals, she sat on the arm of his chair beside him and kept her hand in the special spot.

**11. Name**

The demon vessel maintained a stoic expressed even as he heard his name being muttered like a curse within the group of Academy students, and right then, he wondered if things would ever change, when a girl suddenly approached him.

Matsuri was timid and clumsy, and also either foolish or a little overconfident, choosing a heavy weapon that would obviously impede her process in battle. Given her inexperience, it seemed as though he would have to teach her everything from the beginning.

She needed a lot of personal attention and instruction, and he definitely didn't want to fail with her.

**12. Sensual**

The moment Gaara saw other men eyeing his girlfriend with interest, he sent a silent glare of warning their way, and then made a mental note to tell Matsuri to only wear that kimono around him in private – it made her look too sensual.

When they had a moment alone together, he spoke to her on the subject, and the bole-haired girl blushed slightly in embarrassment upon hearing the reason behind his request. She was certainly no beauty queen… Maybe the boys were just drawn to the various bright colors of her kimono, since it was cut at normal length.

**13. Death**

As Matsuri knelt by the gravesite of a fallen teammate and shed tears of grief, Gaara grimly stayed silent, wisely deciding not to remind her that death was a common occurrence in the life of a shinobi.

How many lives had been lost in the shinobi wars that periodically occurred throughout the history of time? There was no escape from the inevitable ending for every person that existed in this world. Birth and death were merely necessary parts of the cycle.

He knew there was a strong possibility that he himself would die one day in the line of duty.

**14. Sex**

Long ago, he once thought that killing strong opponents made him feel alive, but then he discovered how much it paled in comparison to the sensation of two bodies merging together in physical and emotional ecstasy.

Under the glow of the full moon, he created a sturdy barrier to shield their forms from public view, and then pulled her to him with a low growl. Matsuri was a little surprised by his unexpected action, but she responded with an eager kiss.

When their hunger was satiated for the time being, they huddled closely together in the aftermath of their love.

**15. Touch**

Contrary to the perception of others, Gaara didn't hate physical contact so much as he was unaccustomed to it – and the kunoichi patiently waited until he felt more comfortable with the notion.

Even as he was slowly growing used to the concept of touch, he preferred to keep all physical expressions of affection behind closed doors, which she also agreed to. As much as Matsuri wanted the other girls to know about their relationship just so they no longer had an excuse to continue their pursuit, she understood his main priority was to keep her safe from any possible enemies.

**16. Weakness**

From the very first day of his training, the sand wielder had been conditioned to believe that emotions were a ninja's most dangerous weakness, but nothing made him fight harder than the sight of Matsuri's limp form sprawled over the ground.

She had taken a hit in his sister's stead, and now two kunai knives were lodged into her back. Temari called out the younger girl's name and darted toward her direction even as a fresh assault of projectiles launched into the air. Gaara swiftly blew them away.

The enemies were going to pay. He would make sure of it.

**17. Tears**

Tears were supposed to represent sadness, he thought, so the knowledge of people cheering and crying at the same time confused him greatly – later, Matsuri explained that tears could be an expression of extreme emotion.

Gaara accepted that answer because she would likely know better than him, even though he couldn't imagine ever crying out of happiness. He had only cried once in his life, and it was during a cold night of devastation many years ago. When people felt happy, didn't they express that emotion by smiling or laughing?

Confusing… but he would continue to learn until he understood.

**18. Speed**

The sand wielder had superior ninjutsu and genjutsu, so her only advantage against his techniques was taijutsu – she just had to beat the speed of his sand defenses.

Easier said than done. Her pants of effort, coupled with the sweat glistening on her forehead, were clear evidence of his powerful tactics. Whenever they trained together, Matsuri often found herself on the defensive front, rarely having the chance to attack. But she forced herself to be patient and wait for an opportunity.

_There-! An opening…!_

She flung the head of her weapon toward the area, hoping it would hit the mark…

**19. Wind**

With a swing of her rope dart, a gust of wind swept along the sand and dissipated against his shield; apparently, his sister had taught Matsuri a few techniques.

_Impressive,_ the redhead remarked silently, but betrayed no emotions upon his facial features because he knew his student was watching him for his reaction. He had to maintain a focused mindset.

She looked a little disappointed at his composed profile and quickly resumed her offensive tactics. The kunoichi had a few other tricks up her sleeve and felt fairly confident that one of them was bound to catch him by surprise.

**20. Freedom**

"You're not a free man anymore – you're off the market now," his brother jibed with a knowing smirk, and Gaara just stared back blankly, unsure of how to respond.

"What do you mean?" He asked finally, feeling confused about the remark. Was Kankuro against the idea of being in a relationship? He _did_ seem to prefer dating a number of different girls rather than just stay with one…

"Well, unless you're the type to play the field," the puppeteer continued in a casual tone.

The redhead frowned slightly after he deciphered the term. He would never be unfaithful to Matsuri.

**21. Life**

Darkness enveloped his consciousness, consuming him from every direction… until life returned to his form, and he opened his eyes to see her worried face and hear her concerned voice shrilly asking if he was all right.

His mind swam in a daze when he tried to stand up. Matsuri immediately rushed to his side, but he insisted he could manage on his own.

Looking a bit forlorn, she nodded and backed away in respect of his wishes.

Later, he made sure to explain that he refused her help because he wanted to remain strong in front of his people.

**22. Jealousy**

A foreign sensation formed a tight knot in the pit of his stomach when he saw the light blush creeping up over her face while she was talking to the other boy; for some inexplicable reason, he suddenly wanted to walk over and pull her away.

Gaara resisted the urge and instead, futilely attempted to divert his attention elsewhere. It wasn't a question of trust on his end, but a dual sense of protection and possessiveness he had never felt before.

So when Matsuri returned to his side and gently took his hand, he led her toward a different area.

**23. Hands**

Matsuri marveled at the fact that he could be so gentle with her, using the very same hands that commanded the sand to enforce his awe-inspiring strength.

Despite what his powers represented, she trusted him with her life.

He was dominant, but never overwhelming. She knew he was accustomed to being in control during practically every situation, due to his position, and it would take him some time to adjust to the idea of compromising in a relationship.

Little by little, he slowly changed his ways, and together, they were able to reach a medium that both could agree to.

**24. Taste**

His taste in food was a little unorthodox – chicken liver just didn't appeal to her preferences – but she changed the spices in her cooking to adjust to his liking.

"Is it… all right?" She asked him after he had taken a few bites.

With his mouth still full of food, he nodded, assuring her with a faint smile, and then continued to eat.

Matsuri breathed a sigh of relief, feeling happy he was pleased, and focused on her own meal. She could try making his favorite dish for him someday… once she got over the smell of the raw material.

**25. Devotion**

All the girls claimed to be devoted to him, but at the end of the day, the young Kazekage knew he could only rely on the one that had been by his side since the beginning of his change, prior to his rise to fame.

She had known him back when he still possessed the dangerous entity in his body, and maintained their friendship even though the other villagers thought she was making a terrible mistake. He wondered if she ever felt afraid of him, not that she would ever admit to it.

But some questions were better left unasked.

**End of Installment**

**Author's Note:** Yikes, once again, it has been too long since I uploaded something! My apologies to you readers, but I appreciate your patience. :D I'm still working on a multi-chapter story, but I need to figure out what's going to happen before I start putting up the first few chapters. Now, for this fic, all of these started out as a single sentence for the 1sentence prompt at LiveJournal, but I expanded them to give you guys a little more content to gnaw on, hehe. There will only be one more installment after this, because the set has 50 prompts. Well, I certainly hope you readers enjoyed the drabbles, and as usual, if you have any requests, feel free to leave them in your review!

Merry Christmas, everyone, and have a Happy New Year!

**With love for my fans,**

**Tiger5913**


	2. Set Alpha, Part 2

2/25/09

Disclaimer: the characters in this fic such as Gaara, Matsuri, etc. don't belong to me, although if they did, then by the end of the series, they will be married and have a couple of children running around the Kazekage office.

Dedication: God, my parents, my fans, Masashi Kishimoto for creating the Naruto series and giving us these colorful characters, and especially to my beloved friends, especially Nymyrra, Zero-Nightmare, Kzdatgurl, Nakoudo Byakugan, PhoenixSong4232, GaaraXmatsuri, Musashi Sanada, T. A. Raskelt, narufangirl16, Francisco Devilman Warrior, and all of you wonderful readers!!

**Naruto: From Beginning To End**

**1sentence Drabble**

**Installment: Set Alpha, Part 2**

**By Tiger5913**

**26. Forever**

Before he dared to believe in love again, he had thought nothing could last forever… and every single day, she was there to assure him that he would never feel lonely again.

For as long as they were alive, he thought darkly. He sincerely doubted that love could transcend death. He almost wanted to be selfish just to keep her with him, but it wasn't his place to ask her to stop being a shinobi. Matsuri had made that choice by her own will, and her desire to fight was beneficial to the village.

His personal feelings could not interfere.

**27. Blood**

Matsuri whimpered in pain when she accidentally cut herself, and her boyfriend immediately went to her side, surprising the girl by covering the wound with his mouth, his warm tongue circling the injured area and sucking away the blood.

Her eyes widened in surprise at his action. This was certainly an unexpected method for treating a wound… Where had he learned to do this? And why not resort to more conventional means? She knew his knowledge of medical standards was limited, but… Surely he had a reason.

When she asked him, Gaara answered simply, "I wanted to ease your pain."

**28. Sickness**

Gaara was adamantly devoted to his responsibilities and refused to stay home when he had fallen ill, so Matsuri remained in the office with him and compassionately tended to his needs.

"I don't want you to become ill," he remarked when she refused to leave.

She must have learned how to be stubborn from his sister, for she quickly countered with, "And what about all of the other people working in the building? I have to make sure they don't come into your office or they might get sick."

She had a valid point. The young Kazekage sighed in resignation.

**29. Melody**

She thought he didn't like to sing, but to her surprise, she strolled right by the closed bathroom door while he was taking a shower and managed to hear a pleasant tune drifting through the air.

Matsuri immediately stopped in her tracks and went back to listen as his unseen audience. He didn't utter any words, but the melody was soft, soothing, and pleasant, especially combined with his calm, deep voice. She closed her eyes and blocked out the noise of the running water.

All too soon, the singing ended, and the girl wondered when she could hear him again.

**30. Star**

The night was peaceful yet stunning in natural beauty, she marveled silently, and appreciated why her boyfriend preferred this environment as her gaze scanned across the setting, finally focusing on the largest brilliant star.

She had no idea what the moon meant to him, but for her, it made the night brighter and appear less menacing. When she was a child, her parents had constantly warned her about the perilous dangers of the darkness. As such, Matsuri preferred the daytime much more.

But now, there was no reason to fear the night… not when she had Gaara by her side.

**31. Home**

For the longest time, the sand wielder felt like he didn't belong anywhere, even in his own village, but now, there was a second place he could consider home, and all of the inhabitants welcomed him with warmth and love.

"What, are you living at her place now?" Kankuro jostled his younger brother after he spent yet another night away from home.

Gaara appeared mildly flustered, but before he could respond, Temari quickly came to his defense with a surefire distraction, "You sound jealous, Kankuro. Don't tell me you'd turn down a chance to have a sleepover with a girl."

**32. Confusion**

"He can be a little clueless sometimes, but he means well," Temari quipped while letting out an amused laugh when she heard about the latest fumble her younger brother had made with his girlfriend.

Matsuri nodded, believing the blonde kunoichi. Clearly, Gaara had little to no understanding about the concept of romance, but she certainly would never berate him for his lack of knowledge. She knew he was conscious of his social blunders. In time, he would learn, and she was willing to be patient.

"Tell you what; I'll give him some advice next time, okay?" The older girl offered.

**33. Fear**

Despite his social inexperience, Gaara had known about her feelings toward him for quite some time, but he kept his distance because of the sand spirit's unnatural interest in her.

He was uncertain of the intentions Shukaku harbored toward her, but he truly doubted any of them were noble. Maybe the tailed beast was intrigued because she knew of his presence, and yet didn't show discomfort when being around Gaara.

Regardless of the reasons, the red-haired ninja was determined to keep her safe from the malicious spirit dwelling within him. He put the necessary distance between them for her safety.

**34. Lightning/Thunder**

It surprised Matsuri to find out that her boyfriend felt rather uncomfortable in the presence of thunderstorms, which she discovered on a diplomatic visit to the Land of Lightning.

Even more surprising was his reason behind it.

The weather itself didn't cause him too much distress, just the fact that lightning was unpredictable and rapid. If the bolts were ever to strike down at any of his important people, he might not react in time to protect them.

The brunette looked at him incredulously for a moment, but then quickly asserted that the chance of it happening was very low.

**35. Bonds**

He learned the importance of forging and keeping bonds from Naruto Uzumaki, but Matsuri was the one that gave him the courage to believe in acceptance from other people.

Gaara was unsure of how difficult the process had been for Naruto, but the Sand villagers were not very forgiving. For the first several months after he had made the declaration to change, many people still openly scorned him. On several occasions, he wondered if it was worth his time and effort to try and alter what could not be changed.

Whenever he faltered, Matsuri was right there to encourage him.

**36. Market**

His admirers were _everywhere_, Matsuri griped silently as she and Gaara carefully maneuvered through the crowded marketplace to avoid the screaming fangirls.

They called out his name like they owned him, and she turned toward them with a frown. She hated hearing the jeers against her, as if she was unworthy to be graced by his presence. No wonder he preferred staying out of the public eye when he wasn't working, if he had to deal with this kind of behavior on a frequent basis.

Finally, when the couple ran out of patience, they resorted to traveling in the sky.

**37. Technology**

She giggled lightly at the bewildered expression on his face and then patiently went through each explanation once again, showing him the various features of the laptop computer.

From the time she spent working at the Academy and helping the young students, she had the chance to figure out the mechanisms of a computer. Matsuri thought her boyfriend would benefit from learning how to use it, for personal and work purposes. Proper application would likely help him review documents and get paperwork done more quickly.

Once the redhead heard that, he seemed more enthusiastic about absorbing all the new information.

**38. Gift**

It was hard to think up a gift for someone that essentially had every material item he needed, and finally, she decided to make one by hand, knowing he would appreciate that gesture the most.

Matsuri remembered seeing a certain torn and battered stuffed animal hidden in his closet before… She didn't know why it had been stowed away so furtively, but figured the item was important to Gaara.

She obtained a few instructional guides and sewed a teddy bear together to give to him.

He seemed startled at first glance, but then accepted it with a thoughtful, intense gaze.

**39. Smile**

Because of his serious demeanor, Gaara rarely smiled, finding few reasons to do so in the first place, but then he found himself doing that just a little more often around his girlfriend – her jubilance was influential.

He didn't understand conventional humor, but presumed that an appropriate response was a smile whenever his brother told jokes. Temari and Matsuri would either laugh or groan depending on how funny the puppeteer was being, while the redhead only gave facial reactions. The brunette noticed this aspect after repeated instances and immediately began plotting.

Now her next goal was to make him laugh.

**40. Innocence**

Even though she was a shinobi, the bole-haired girl had remarkable optimism and faith in a world tainted by evil, and he wondered how she could possibly retain so much innocence after everything she witnessed.

She still believed people were decent by nature, that it was uncommon to come across someone who would take advantage of others. Rather than criticize her for having such a naïve perception of the world, he asked the trusting kunoichi about her mindset.

"If everybody thought the worst about each other, then we'd never be able to trust anyone," she answered with a sad smile.

**41. Completion**

Matsuri was orphaned at a young age, and being stifled by loneliness made her yearn to be part of a family again; nothing made her feel more complete than being around Gaara and his siblings.

She shyly mentioned this to Temari one day, and the blonde kunoichi laughed while replying, "Hey, you'll be my sister when you marry Gaara."

The brunette blinked in surprise at the notion as a deep blush slowly began to spread over her fair cheeks. Was marriage even a possibility in her boyfriend's mind…? She really didn't know, since they had never discussed the subject before…

**42. Clouds**

"Temari said cloud-gazing is peaceful," Matsuri offered with a sweet smile, and he nodded to show he could consider the notion, never mind the fact that clouds were a rare sight in the dusty, windy desert.

At present, the redhead glanced up to see the sky covered by hazy dust that was swirling around due to momentum of the wind. His girlfriend's gaze quickly followed suit. It was a bit strange to think his sister would have this kind of suggestion, but she likely picked up that habit from the genius shinobi of the Leaf Village she used to date.

**43. Sky**

Like everyone else in the village, Matsuri had her gaze intently fixed on the dark night sky as the young Kazekage fought to protect his people from the dark-robed stranger that invaded their sanctuary.

She could feel frustration emanating from the grounded shinobi, for surely they all wanted to help their leader fend off the enemy. Unfortunately, none of them had aerial capabilities, and they would just be getting in the way if any arrows were fired.

For the time being, everyone had to be patient and hope for the best.

The brunette clasped her hands together in visible concern.

**44. Heaven**

She believed in the spiritual world, and wondered if he had experienced the surreal realm of the afterlife during his brief death, for surely his selfless actions would have sent him to a heavenly place… not that she would ever ask him such a question.

Matsuri still found it hard to believe that he had actually died… In her eyes, Gaara was strong and confident, practically infallible. Ironically, his generosity had led to his downfall.

But his selfless concern had not gone unnoticed. Another sacrifice brought him back to life… a second chance so rare and almost impossible to obtain.

**45. Hell**

Initially, Gaara was reluctant to get involved with the girl and possibly corrupt her, for if he ever dragged her down into the bleak abyss, then guilt would haunt him eternally, but her persistence finally quelled his pessimistic worries.

"You're not evil," she assured him for what seemed to be the hundredth time. "I know you wouldn't hurt me… I trust you."

Her words touched him, in spite of his doubts. Darkly, he wondered if she would still say that after finding out everything he had done in the past… He hoped in this instance, history would never repeat itself.

**46. Sun**

After living in the desert so long, the heat hardly bothered him anymore, especially when he saw what his girlfriend wore on a particularly hot day – he convinced her to stay indoors until night fell.

Not that he would let her go out with those clothes. He himself could barely tear his gaze away from the sight of her bare skin as she casually walked around the house, apparently oblivious to his staring.

Forcing his attention over to a different subject, Gaara focused on reading the book, despite the fact that his line of vision discreetly kept trying to revert.

**47. Moon**

Looking at the moon gave the sand wielder mixed feelings – guilt because he used to lose control to Shukaku on the night of a full moon, but also relief that he would never have to endure the overpowering experience again… he didn't have to fear hurting her.

No matter the circumstances, he intended to use his powers only for virtuous purposes. He would fight for the people in his village, and to protect everyone that was important to him.

His sins could not be forgotten, but would remain in the past for all eternity, where they belonged, never to resurface.

**48. Waves**

With a few simple waves of his hand, countless grains of sand rose to his command, and she tensed her body in anticipation of an incoming attack; she had told him not to go easy on her, and she was determined to prove her worthiness.

A wave of sand slammed right into her body and carried her through the air, crushing her petite form against a rock wall.

Matsuri saw him tense up visibly… until he realized he had only struck a clone.

Starting slightly, the sand wielder turned around just in time to see her attack coming from behind.

**49. Hair**

Matsuri loved everything about him, from his dark red hair to his unique tattoo to his somber attitude, and she couldn't help wondering why he would want to be with such a plain girl like her.

There was no doubt in her mind that he loved her, but really, he could be with any girl of his choice, especially considering the number of willing admirers he had.

Then again, they were rather vindictive and nasty-tempered… She recalled the afternoon when one of them approached her with bitter, jealous words.

Fortunately, Gaara had shown up and ordered the girl to leave.

**50. Supernova**

Despite assurances from his brother and sister, Gaara still wasn't completely sure how she would react to his question, but he definitely did not expect to reel back from the explosive volume of her excited, passionate response.

They told Temari first, and she was ecstatic, but then immediately asked when they were going to make her an aunt, which caused the young couple look at each other with widened eyes.

"So I'm getting another sister, huh?" Kankuro sighed dramatically when he heard the news and feigned disappointment at the prospect, but he quickly grinned to show he was only kidding.

**End of Set Alpha**

Bonus: Steam, 100 words, Gaara x Matsuri – dedicated to _**Mooncatcher**_

By the time she awoke, he was always gone. She understood his reasons for leaving so prominently. Gaara was an early riser, and he preferred being first in the office.

Still, Matsuri mused one morning while taking a shower, it would be nice if he took just a few seconds to say good-bye. But she debated whether or not to tell him that. It wasn't necessary…

Sighing wistfully, she turned off the water and pulled back the curtain to step out, when she suddenly noticed a message written in the steam on the mirror.

"Join me for lunch at noon."

**End of Installment**

**Author's Note:** Oh, school and work seem very determined to keep me away from writing. Sigh… Well, and also role-playing, to an extent, hehe. But I kind of want to cut back on that so I can have more time to work on fanfiction. I know I'm way long overdue for putting up the first chapter of my multi-chapter GaaMatsu story, but I'm actually still developing ideas, so please be patient with me while I keep working on those. For now, please just enjoy these drabbles, and I'd love it if you readers could leave a review and tell me your thoughts.

By the way, if any of you readers would be interested in joining a LiveJournal role-playing community with mature content as its premise, please send me a PM! I'm specifically looking for a Matsuri to play with…

**With love for my fans,**

**Tiger5913**


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